De-Cluttering a Room You Can’t Even Get Into

My clients ask me all the time…”Is this the worst you’ve ever seen?” And I honestly tell them, “No”. There’s no way I can even compare the different situations I’m called into. Besides, it doesn’t matter how cluttered a space is because I have fast and easy tips to conquer ANY room:

Step 1

Get your organizing supplies ready and line them up in the hallway outside the room:

Tall kitchen garbage bags

30 gallon black plastic garbage bags

Labels for bags

Clear packing tape and dispenser

Recycle bin

Shredder, plugged in and ready to use

Empty box for breakable donations

Empty box for “relocations”

Step 2

Stand in the doorway and visually lay the face of a clock on the room and decide whether you want to start working clockwise or counterclockwise. Once you decide, you must stay in that direction.

Step 3

Like the ticking second hand of a clock, stay in your space as you make decisions about each item. Decide whether to toss, shred, donate, relocate or keep the item in the room. Once you’ve done this throughout the entire room move to Step 4.

Step 4

Now that you have easy access to the room clean the floor, walls, closet and shelves. Zone the room according to what activities take place in each space and group “like” with “like”. If you run out of storage remember to utilize all of your vertical spaces and try to keep everything off the floor and in its own home. If you need organizing bins try to repurpose objects you have in the house. The last task is calling for a donation pickup and relocating all the relocation items to their proper homes.

CONGRATULATIONS! You did it and should feel really proud of yourself. Enjoy your beautiful, “new” space.